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3 votes
Accepted

Eretz Yisroel as G-ds palace

There are several instances. Firstly, note Rabbeinu Bachaye on Devarim 32:43 on the words "וְכִפֶּ֥ר אַדְמָת֖וֹ עַמּֽוֹ" - "And atone His people’s land" writes: וכפר אדמתו עמו. ...
Dov's user avatar
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1 vote

Chesed and food - healthy or tasty?

This is just my perspective, and it isn’t halachic, but as I understand Jewish ethics It depends. If the food is actually unhealthy, even if tasty you should probably prioritize health, based on the ...
Kirk's user avatar
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1 vote

Chanukah and Purim as two friends: insight of the Shaloh

The Lubavitcher Rebbe (Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz 27th Day of Kislev 5744) explained that Purim represents the body, e.g. mitzvos, and Chanukah represents the soul, e.g. Torah. On Purim, we "...
Shmuel's user avatar
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0 votes

Locating a Sfas Emes on the influence of Chanukah

Please see if Sfas Emes Miketz 9 is something that helps you: כי חנוכה ופורים הם נסים האחרונים סמוכין לסוף תיקון הכולל שיהי' נגמר במהרה בימינו בעת ביאת הגואל
The Targum's user avatar
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2 votes

Chanukah and Purim as two friends: insight of the Shaloh

The Targum Simcha Here (English Here) mentions four similarities and connections between Purim and Chanukah. Although he does not mention the Shelah which you quoted, he does provide his own ...
The Targum's user avatar
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3 votes
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Chanukah and Purim as two friends: insight of the Shaloh

There are a possibly a few ways in which they can be deemed "friends", or in other words, share a similar connection. The first, from a most basic level, is that they are both Rabbinic ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes

Simanim at the end of the Parshah

A good essay on the subject (in Hebrew)1 is Dr. Aharon Ahrend's "The Mnemotechnical notes of the numbers of verses in the Torah Portions", Rabbi Mordechai Breuer Festschrift, pp. 157-171. ...
Harel13's user avatar
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5 votes
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Being MeChadesh Torah saves lives

The verse in Shoftim 5:8 states: יִבְחַר֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים חֲדָשִׁ֔ים אָ֖ז לָחֶ֣ם שְׁעָרִ֑ים מָגֵ֤ן אִם־יֵֽרָאֶה֙ וָרֹ֔מַח בְּאַרְבָּעִ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל When they chose new gods, war came to their ...
Dov's user avatar
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2 votes

Connection between tefillin and Divine spousal relationship

I only have a modern approach for this, but Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l repeated this idea several times. See here and this video here (see 12.10mins in) UPDATE However, upon digging a little ...
Dov's user avatar
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2 votes

Socialising children - what does the Torah say?

Yes, don't socialize them. Unless they need help and some subtle suggestions or intervention they'll be fine. Likutei Etzot - BaNNim, Children, #15: It's better for your children's development that ...
Nissim Nanach's user avatar
-2 votes

What is the Torah position on home schooling vs. institutionalised education?

School is for fish. No one will dispute that a class of thirty or whatever is a modern invention. Historically people were poor and you're rich and fortunate if you can hire every tutor to come ...
Nissim Nanach's user avatar
1 vote

Locating this Rokeach on sefer Devarim

The question posed from Yevamot 4a is how do we learn the principle of homiletical interpretation from the Written Torah? Where is the source for this style of Torah study? Rabbi Elazar says that we ...
Yaacov Deane's user avatar
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3 votes

Locating this Rokeach on sefer Devarim

It's from the Rokeach's book Sodei Razei Smuchim (link). He seems to be clarifying a statement in the gemara regarding learning ideas via juxtaposition of certain words and verses (smichut) in the ...
Harel13's user avatar
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4 votes

What is the Torah position on home schooling vs. institutionalised education?

I imagine a lot of it will come down to the judgement of the parent and the nature of the child. No one methodology is more superior, it is about חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ - Educating the ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes

Socialising children - what does the Torah say?

It is hard to provide a definitive age, as it is very much dependent on the child, their maturity and a number of factors that I have already enumerated in the comments above. That being said, by way ...
Dov's user avatar
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1 vote

The search for invariants

Modern science concludes that nature is always optimizing. Between two points, light takes the path it can cross in the least time. Soap bubbles form so as to minimize surface area. When an object ...
Maurice Mizrahi's user avatar
4 votes

Why is זֵכֶר לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית left out sometimes on Shabbat Amidah?

Shaar HaKollel, written by the great-grandfather of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, brings a source received from Kabbalah (quoted in Mishnat Chassidim) that says we shouldn't say the phrase in Shacharit. The ...
shmosel's user avatar
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2 votes

Are there any sources that discuss political activism?

There are some sources from the commentaries on משנה אבות, the ones that deal with this topic of "not trusting the government". Rambam warns on this Mishna that pursuing friendship with the ...
Rabbi Kaii's user avatar
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3 votes

Where does the idea of chosenness and particularly the phrase "Light unto the nations" originate?

כי עם קדוש אתה לה' אלקיך ובך בחר ה' להיות לו לעם סגלה מכל העמים אשר על־פני האדמה         For you are a holy people to Hashem your God, and Hashem has chosen you to be a special possession to Himself, ...
Rabbi Kaii's user avatar
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-9 votes

Where does the idea of chosenness and particularly the phrase "Light unto the nations" originate?

The concept of a chosen people is found in the Torah. However, there is another concept that I think we should recognize. We need to respect everyone and recognize that everyone is chosen. God himself ...
Turk Hill's user avatar
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0 votes

Sourcing a quote from the Rambam

if I understand the meaning of that quote, that one should alwyas strive to understand the reasons for all the mitzvos, then look at the end of Mishne Torah Hilchos Meila and Hilchos Temurah, where ...
Motti Abenaim's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

Were the malochim who visited Avraham human?

The Ralbag says they were prophets sent by Hashem. Ibn Ezra brings a similar interpretation. The Abarbanel has a lengthy analysis of the competing interpretations, raising a number of difficulties ...
shmosel's user avatar
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0 votes

Were the malochim who visited Avraham human?

See Bereishis Rabbah 50:2 אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהָיָה כֹּחוֹ יָפֶה נִדְמוּ לוֹ בִּדְמוּת אֲנָשִׁים, אֲבָל לוֹט עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָיָה כֹּחוֹ רַע נִדְמוּ לוֹ בִּדְמוּת ...
Dov's user avatar
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3 votes

Learning principles of software development from the Torah

There is a relevant book which I saw once on the topic: Torah && Tech: Discussions at the Intersection of Torah and Technology It is a selection of divrei Torah on the parasha with relevant ...
mbloch's user avatar
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0 votes

Married couples never sleeping in the same bed

Besides the halachic issues of sleeping together when niddah, there is the cultural fact that in our culture it is unheard of. Frankly, when I found out that non-Newish couples share a bed I was ...
Joseph Friedmann's user avatar
0 votes

The Belzer Rebbe's approach to nationalism and zionism

B"H found it! It is in the Kuntres 22 Mar Cheshvan, available on Otzar HaChochmah for instance. It reads (p. 109): הציונות בעצמה מיוסדת על ההכחשה בהשגחת ה' ית' בעקרי שכר ועונש ובביאת הגואל ...
Shmuel's user avatar
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0 votes

What are some of the specific sources saying that Yitzchak’s central attribute is Gevurah or Din?

For a source from the Arizal, see Shaar Hapesukim in the beginning of Lech Lecha. It's too long and abstruse for me to feel comfortable translating it here, but if you take a look at the link you can ...
Yehuda's user avatar
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2 votes

What are some of the specific sources saying that Yitzchak’s central attribute is Gevurah or Din?

First of all, welcome to Mi Yodeya. Great to have you learning with us. There are actually different sources that say this. One of these is, as you say, the Zohar in parshas Vayeshev. "He shall ...
Shmuel's user avatar
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1 vote
Accepted

Is there a special term for a King who is also a Rabbi?

No. The last Jewish kings were hundreds of years before the title "Rabbi" came into use and there was no equivalent title of Rabbi before that point as far as we know.
Moses Supposes's user avatar
7 votes

Sourcing a quote from the Rambam

I searched around and found it, in a collection of chidushim from ksav yad of the Rambam (which I did not know existed!) printed in the beginning of Maaseh Rokeach. You can see it for yourself here (...
Ester Lin's user avatar
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